1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a device to assist an operator with target acquisition in a weapons system.
A weapons system comprises, in a known way, a unit for the detection and locating of targets, such as a radar, and firing units capable of firing in the direction of the targets thus located.
The present invention pertains more especially to a short-range weapons system in which the firing operations are performed manually by an operator. This implies that, before any firing operation, the operator acquires the target in his sighting device and is therefore led to look in the direction of the target. It may be assumed that the operator's own means of perception are sufficient for this action but, in fact, a procedure of this kind would be ineffective, especially in the face of fast-moving low-altitude targets which reveal themselves very belatedly (because of natural obstacles such as hills and trees, for example).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A more efficient method consists in transmitting data from the detection and locating system, which moreover acquires the target, to the operator, to inform him of the nature of the target, where it comes from and its approaching speed so that his reaction can be anticipated. But the problem then lies in the choice of the communications interface between the detection/locating system and the operator. At present, this takes the form of an alert, generally given by phonic methods. However, this method is cumbersome for the operator who often has very little time to react, given the speed of certain targets and the time taken to use the method.